This Modern Love
by Danny857
Summary: Gerard and Frank were in a healthy and happy relationship for 7 years...until it wasn't healthy and happy anymore, and they ended things on very bad terms. Fast forward 5 years, and they're both in committed relationships with over people. What if fate had other plans in mind?
1. A New Hope

"Frank? Fraaaaank? Frank, answer me! Fr-"

"WHAT?"

Frank fully opened his eyes and looked up to glare at the person who so rudely interrupted his blissful sleeping. His eyes moved around the room until they made eye contact with some of the most gorgeous eyes he's ever seen. The eyes that belonged to his beautiful boyfriend.

"It's time to wake up! We've gotta get going. We have a lot to do today. Come on, you promised you'd get up early so we could do everything we planned!"

Frank groaned and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, checking the time.

"Yeah, early as in between 9 and 10 AM. Not 6 in the morning!"

Frank threw his head back down on to his pillow and pulled the blanket back over his body. He closed his eyes, and right when he was getting back into the beautiful, relaxing slumber he was in-

He heard the loudest screech he's ever heard right next to his ear. He flew up in bed, trying to get away from the disgusting noise. Through all of his tumbling and tripping, he somehow managed to roll of the bed and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

From the other side of the bed, he heard giggling.

"Wow, this iPhone app does seem to work. It's called 'Alarm screech.' Says here it's supposed to wake up even the heaviest of sleepers. Looks like it wasn't lying to me."

Frank signed in annoyance at the fact that his boyfriend decided to do that to him AND laugh about it. He could have broken an ankle or something when he hit the floor.

"Well, sweetheart, I'm glad you thought this was so funny. Congratulations, I'm up. You happy?"

"Ecstatic," his boyfriend replied brightly. "Now hurry up and get dressed, our first stop is the diner downtown to get some breakfast."

"Fine. Can you go make us some coffee while I'm getting ready?"

His boyfriend walked past him, giving him a kiss on the cheek on the way.

"Coffee is already making. It'll be ready by the time you're dressed and ready to go."

Frank smiled. He didn't know what he'd do without his perfect boyfriend. He'd be a lose cause, that's for sure.

"Thanks, honey. I'll be ready to go. Just give me about 15 minutes."

His boyfriend nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door with one last smile thrown at Frank before completely disappearing out of his sight.

Frank smiled to himself. He didn't know how he got so lucky with his life right now. He was a music instructor at one of the top selling studios in the city, he lived in a nice apartment not far at all from his studio, he had the best friends and family he could ask for. But the best part of it all, he had the boyfriend of his dreams.

A boyfriend who supported him through everything and made him genuinely happy. A boyfriend who was the most beautiful human being on the plant in Frank's eyes. He had an amazing personality. He got along with Frank's family and friends right away, so much that Frank's parents wanted him over at their house almost every day for the first couple years of their relationship. Frank adored, admired, and cherished his boyfriend. He couldn't be happier than where he was right now.

He slowly got dressed, yawning about 10 times during the process, before brushing his teeth and messing with his longer hair a bit. It was starting to curl around his ears. He gave himself a quick reminder to trim his hair the next time he had the chance.

He walked into the kitchen to see his amazing boyfriend leaning against the counter, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and reading off of the newspaper in his other hand. He somehow looked absolutely beautiful even this early in the morning. I mean, really, he was actually glowing. How is that even real?

Frank strides over, giving his boyfriend a peck on his lips before grabbing his cup of coffee off of the counter and taking a sip, closing his eyes as he did so. It was so delicious.

"I'm so glad we both finally have a day off to spend together. We seriously haven't had a day like this in months."

Frank grinned at his boyfriend's excitement, despite how early it was in the morning and how tired he still was. It was true, though. They really haven't had a day off together in a very long time. With their super busy schedule, their days have revolved around waking up, eating breakfast, parting ways to go to work, coming home, watching a little TV and eating dinner, then going to sleep. While Frank loved doing anything with his boyfriend, he was starting to get tired of that same old routine. He was happy to finally be getting some time to actually go out with his boyfriend and walk around the wonderful city known as New York City.

"So am I, babe. Even though I hate getting up this early, you're worth it."

He added a cheesy wink in for good measure, sending his boyfriend into a laughing fit.

"You're really something else, Frank. I love you so much."

He set his coffee and newspaper down, and attacked Frank with a hug with Frank latching right back onto him. He buried his face into his taller boyfriend's neck and breathed in deeply. Gosh, he smelled so good. He reached around his boyfriend's shoulder and put one of his hands on the back of his head, playing with his tousled dark hair.

His boyfriend pulled back and chucked.

"You know, it's so funny that you mention how much you hate waking up early. You used to tell me you loved being active early in the morning. What ever happened to that?"

Frank smiled. His boyfriend was correct. He actually was a morning person sometime ago. Back when...well, it's been a long time. That's all Frank wants to remember.

Suddenly a memory flashed into his mind. A memory that involved two people. Himself and someone else. The face was blurry but he heard himself laughing and he heard the other person laughing as well. That laugh...the laugh that Frank could recognize anywhere no matter how old he got. In this memory, he and the blurred figure of the other person were both laying in a bed and it looked like they were play wrestling on the bed. The laughter, the happiness in Frank's face...Frank remembers that day, that moment, that person. There's no way he would ever forget.

But as soon as he was going to start thinking some more about that person, his boyfriend shook his shoulder a bit and Frank focused back into real life. More importantly, he focused back on his boyfriend. His beautiful, perfect boyfriend.

"You alright there? You looked like you zoned out for a couple moments there."

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about those old times when I could actually wake up early without looking like a caveman."

His boyfriend started to laugh. Frank sighed in relief, glad his boyfriend wasn't going to press him for more information.

"Well than, caveman, are you ready to go?"

Frank chuckled and walked to the living room to grab his coat and slip it on. He walked to the front door, his boyfriend close behind him. Before he opened the door, though, he turned around and pressed his lips to his boyfriend's, leaving a lingering kiss. He pulled away after a few seconds and leaned his forehead against his boyfriend's. His boyfriend closed his eyes and smiled, while wrapping his arms around Frank's waist.

"You're the best thing in my life, Frank. I love you."

Frank pulled away a couple inches and stared into his boyfriend's gorgeous hazel eyes.

"I love you too, Andrew."

With one last smile, Andrew reached around Frank and opened the door, gesturing with his hand to let Frank know he could walk out the door first. As Frank walked out the door, he felt a slight knot in his stomach, leading up to his heart. It was such an odd feeling that was tugging at his heart.

"Probably just morning nerves," Frank thought to himself.

It was nothing...right?


	2. The Past is Far Behind Us

Frank's day with Andrew went by a lot faster than he had been expecting. After everything they did today, shopped for hours, went sightseeing in Times Square, and walked as well as have a picnic in Central Park, they were beyond exhausted and ready for bed. However, they had one more stop to make. It was their favorite coffee cafe.

They had been going there together for a long time now. It was actually where they first met. It was a smaller cafe and it was never usually busy unless it was the early mornings when cranky people would come in to get their morning coffee and breakfast before heading off to work. Frank knew this because _he_ was one of those cranky people himself. He had been going there almost every day. It was their little place. Frank especially loved coming to this place in the evening because it was much more comfortable and empty and the lights that were strung around the walls were lit up, making it look beautiful inside. Also, local aspiring musicians from around the city would always come in to perform some of their own songs. Frank loved coming with Andrew to hear all kinds of music, sometimes they would come just to hear music and sometimes they would come just to talk to each other and enjoy each other's company. Regardless, Frank just loved being there with Andrew no matter what.

Frank and Andrew headed inside and headed over to their favorite table that they always sat at together. It was a table way off to the corner of the cafe. They slipped their coats off and slid them on to the back of their chairs. Andrew sat down, but Frank kept standing.

"You stay here. I'll go get us our usual's."

Andrew crossed one leg over the other while grinning up at Frank.

"Thanks, babe."

Frank made his way up to the counter and noticed a new barista standing up at the register, getting ready to put in his order. Frank had never seen her there before. She must be a new one. She was young, probably about 23 or 24, not much younger than Frank. She had very dark brown hair tied back into a ponytail and she had bangs straight across her forehead. She was a very pretty girl.

"Hi! Welcome to Cream and Sugar Cafe. How can I help you, this evening?"

Frank noticed her voice shook on more than a few of her words. She looked extremely uncomfortable and unsure of herself up there. Frank didn't blame her. His very first job was at a fast food restaurant and it could be very intimidating to take some orders. There always had to be those customers who made it especially hard for you. Due to this knowledge, Frank knew he had to make this as easy as possible on this girl.

"Hello. I've never seen you here before so I'm assuming you're new. You see, I'm a regular customer here so I know everyone. So you've gotta be new, unless you've actually been here for years and I'm just a complete moron. If that's the case, go ahead and tell me to get lost."

The young girl stared at him for a few seconds, processing everything he just said before she finally began to laugh at his little rant.

"No, you're actually correct. Today is my first day. And to be completely honest, you may be the one telling me to get lost because I might be messing up that order of yours. My manager has been having to come out here to fix almost all of my orders. I think by this point, she's ready to rip her own hair out...or maybe mine."

Frank couldn't help but chuckle at her energetic behavior. He knew the manager, her name was Dorothy. She did have a very strict personality as Frank has witnessed before. She doesn't hold back on yelling at employees who make careless mistakes. She's a perfectionist. But she and Frank have grown a very close relationship, she was a very lovely woman.

"What? You mean Dorothy? I know she can seem pretty strict but for as long as I've known her, I know it's just because she wants the best for her store. I think she's a pretty awesome and I don't quite think she's going to be pulling your hair out."

The girl, who's name tag read Wendy, slowly nodded, as if she was coming to terms with how awesome her boss really was.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. She is a great manager."

There were a few seconds of silence between the two so Frank decided to go ahead and give his order.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and give you my order, newbie. See if you can keep up with this one. Remember, we're trying to avoid any hair pulling."

Wendy nodded excitedly while preparing to take his order.

"May I please get a grande Mocha Frappuccino and a grande Iced Hazelnut Macchioto?"

"Of course!"

Wendy began punching in his order quickly.

"Hey whoa, slow down there. Don't go getting too excited. How about those cupcakes? You know how to put those in? Because I'd like two of those red velvet cupcakes from that stand over there," he said while gesturing to the pastries stand set up near the register.

Wendy once again started to punch more buttons on the register screen.

"Wow, I think this just might be the first order of the day that I'm able to do on my own. I give myself a pat on the back for this one."

She grinned in triumph while fist pumping the air, sending Frank into a fit of giggles.

"Well congratulations. I better be seeing that every time I come by."

She continued to laugh while grabbing his two cupcakes from the stand and putting them into a plastic box, with a stack of napkins and two forks in it as well.

She slid the box over to him.

"If you'd like to walk over and wait by the other register for your coffee, we'll have them out in just a couple moments."

Frank nodded while smiling. He began to walk to the other register when she called after him again.

"Oh wait! I forgot to ask, what's the name on the order?"

Frank figured this was the time to properly introduce himself. He stuck out his hand for her to shake.

"My name's Frank. Frank Iero. It's nice to meet you."

Wendy grasped his hand, and shook it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Frank. As you already know by my name tag, I'm Wendy."

Frank nodded while smiling and they let go of each other's hands.

"Well, I'll be waiting right over there."

He gestured over to the register she told him to stand next to, and she nodded.

"Alright Frank, your order should be out in just a couple more minutes."

"Sounds great. Thanks."

"It's my pleasure."

They politely smiled at each other one more time before Wendy walked away to go clean some tables that were previously occupied by customers.

Frank occupied himself by looking around the cafe, staring at all the pictures and decorations they had hung up on the wall. He glanced back to see what Andrew was doing. He was still sitting at the table while reading a magazine that must've been pretty interesting because he wasn't looking up once.

Frank laughed quietly to himself at the sight of his cute boyfriend. He honesty didn't know how he caught such a catch like Andrew. I mean, Andrew was literally perfect. He looked like a male model with his dark tousled brown hair, hazel eyes, and chiseled body. Guys and girls constantly checked him out when he was out, even if he was holding hands with Frank. He could choose anyone he wanted, yet he chose Frank for some reason. He had the looks, the money, the charm, and the overall personality. Frank just didn't know what Andrew saw in him.

He still remembers in detail the very first day they met in this cafe. It was a very early morning and Frank was heading to the cafe for his usual morning coffee. He had been in a particularly bad mood that morning because he had only gotten about two hours of sleep. He barged right into the cafe, not even bothering to care if someone was on the other side of the door, about to walk out of the cafe. Turns out, someone was about to walk out at the same time Frank was walking in, so he ended up running right into the man, who of course had to be the ever so attractive Andrew. The coffee that had been in his hand spilled all over the floor.

Frank had started to apologize over and over again. Surprisingly, Andrew hadn't even been upset with Frank. He even told Frank he didn't blame him for being so tired because of how early in the morning it was. Frank had immediately offered to let him buy him another coffee and Andrew agreed. Basically, they began talking while waiting for the coffee and it went from there. They got each other's phone numbers, and they began texting and then the dating started happening. After a while, they just became a couple. That had been when Frank was 25 and Andrew was 27.

Fast forward two years. Frank was now 27 and Andrew was 29. They had been going strong for two years and they were settled in and happy together. Frank was still so shocked that Andrew has stayed with him all this time when there were countless rich and more attractive men who wanted him. The fact that he's always been there for him and him only made Frank so appreciative of him.

Frank turned back around to face the front. Suddenly he heard a microphone screech. He turned to look at the band stand set up to the side of the cafe. There was a young girl sitting on a stool with an acoustic guitar perched on her lap.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Anna. I'm going to be performing covers of some of my favorite songs for you all tonight."

There was a gathering of claps coming from around the cafe.

"I'm going to start off with possibly my favorite song of all time. This is a classic by the group, The Smiths. Sing along if you know the words."

She cleared her throat and began to strum on her guitar, before she started to sing.

 _Take me out tonight_

 _Where there's music and there's people_

 _And they're young and alive_

Frank instantly recognized the song she was singing. The song was called, "There is a light that never goes out."

This song was personal to him. It was one of those songs that he could listen to at any time, no matter what he was feeling. He used to listen to this song all the time and it always made him feel better.

Suddenly, another memory flashed into his mind. This time, he was in a car driving. The man who was in his first memory was in this one as well, but still blurry. However, Frank had no doubt it was the same man because he also remembered this memory in vivid detail. They were singing the same song Anna was singing together in Frank's very first car, and Frank looked so...happy. They both did. They were singing this song to each other and laughing and just having a good time. This song was special to them because both of them connected to every single lyric in the song. And in this memory, there they were singing to each other, lyrics that were about death being completely okay as long as they died together.

Looking at Anna, watching and hearing her perform a song that is so special to him, made him begin to feel overwhelmed. So many emotions were welling up inside of him, threatening to break loose at any second if he didn't hold it together. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as the flashing images from that memory kept playing in his mind.

He opened his eyes and distracted himself from thinking about that memory and that man, by looking back at all of the pictures hung on the wall, not even hearing the cafe bell chiming, signaling that someone was coming in.

When he noticed a person in his peripheral vision, he glanced to his side to see who it was. A man dressed in almost all black was standing up at the register. Wendy, who was still cleaning tables was not up at the register, so another employee who was a friend of Frank's walked over to take the man's order. Frank was about to look away but the man's fashion caught his eye.

He was wearing black skinny jeans and black combat boots. He was also wearing a light brown trench coat, but under that, he was wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up and over his face. He was also wearing shades, and a red scarf. The scarf was wrapped tightly around his neck, all the way up to almost his nose. Basically, almost his entire face was covered up so Frank had no idea what the man actually looked like.

The man pulled his scarf down ever so slightly to begin giving his order but Frank was standing too far away to hear him. Frank stared straight ahead again when suddenly two cups of coffee were in his sight.

He made eye contact with Wendy, who was holding his coffees out with a big smile on her face.

"Here's your order, Frank!"

Frank grabbed the two cups of coffee, while thanking her. He also tucked the box of cupcakes under his arm and turned around to walk away.

"Oh, one more question Frank!"

Frank turned back around to look at Wendy.

"Sure! What is it?"

"Well, I saw you walk in with that man over there," she started while gesturing over at the table where Andrew was still patiently waiting.

"I was just wondering, is he a friend? Family member?"

She looked genuinely curious so Frank smiled and answered.

"Uh, no. Definitely not a family member and um, he's more than a friend. He's actually my boyfriend."

Wendy was silent for a few seconds before she finally processed that Frank was gay.

"Oh, boyfriend! Wow, family member? I feel so stupid for saying that now. Well, you two make a very handsome couple."

Frank's heart melted at the fact that she wasn't even phased at the fact that he was gay. He was just so used to all the rude glares from people who found out he was gay. But that was when he was younger and still growing up in New Jersey. He really needs to get used to the fact that people don't care here in New York.

"Thank you so much, Wendy," he said. "Well, I'm going to to go sit down now. Don't go messing up or you'll be getting that hair pulled. I plan to come back soon and I'd like to see you with your hair still in place next time, okay?"

Wendy let out a loud laugh.

"You got it, Frank."

As Frank began to turn around, he looked back to Anna who was still singing the same song. Frank sighed. That same memory began to creep back into his mind.

He turned completely around and began walking back to his table. However, due to the fact that he was looking at Anna perform rather than straight in front of him, he ran smack into the body of another person. He stumbled back but thankfully, nothing of his fell out of his grasp. He looked up, ready to apologize, but then froze.

The man...the man standing in front of him and was now made eye contact with him, was the same man who was just at the register ordering. Except now, he had removed his shades, hoodie, and scarf.

Frank could now clearly see the man's face. He was staring into a pair of some of the most familiar and beautiful hazel eyes he had ever seen. Andrew also had hazel eyes, but the eyes Frank was staring into right now were brighter, burning with passion. Those were the eyes that Frank could never forget even if he tried.

The man who was looking down at him right now was the same man who was in Frank's memories, the man who hasn't _really_ left Frank's mind for 4 years, the man who was just on Frank's mind only seconds ago. The song was still being performed by Anna, _their_ song.

Moments passed as the two men just silently stared at each other, with their song playing in the background. The man looked just as shocked as Frank knew he looked himself.

Finally, a word was spoken between the two.

"Frank," the man said.

Frank gasped. It was actually him. He couldn't believe it. That voice was exactly the same as Frank always remembered, the voice that had haunted his memories. Frank felt like he couldn't breathe, he felt like he was going to faint any second.

He let out a slow shaky breath and finally spoke.

"Gerard."


	3. This Charming Man

Both of them were absolutely dumbfounded. Frank had no idea what to say and he didn't think Gerard had any idea either.

Here stood the man who was...basically Frank's life at one point. This was the man who was Frank's first love. He was the first for _everything_ in Frank's life. His first crush, his first date, his first kiss, his first time, and his first love. They met when Frank was a freshman in high school and Gerard was a junior at the same school.

Gerard was widely loved around the school. Everyone liked him. He was smart, extremely kind, and he was involved in tons of clubs and organizations, making even teachers love him. The most shocking part about him though, was the fact that he was completely out of the closet, and he never got any shit for it. Everyone was completely okay with it. Of course, that made Frank happy because it was nice seeing someone who was gay not being bullied for it, but at the same time, Frank knew that the reason Gerard wasn't bullied for it was because of how popular and liked he was. If he hadn't been popular, he probably wouldn't have ever come out of the closet.

Gerard never dated, though. Mostly because there were only a couple other students who were gay, but just not Gerard's type or something, Frank never knew. Tons of girls and even those gay boys wanted him so bad, though. However, when Frank entered high school, he made sure to make himself unknown to everyone. He had the fear that someone would take one look at him and call him out for being gay and then the bullying would start. So no, Frank was not out of the closet. No one had the slightest idea he was gay.

Frank thought Gerard was the most attractive guy in the world. He wanted to date him so bad but Gerard had no idea he existed. He was older, popular and out and proud. Frank was younger, lonely, and completely in the closet.

Basically, the way they met was actually pretty embarrassing, on Frank's part at least. It was halfway through Frank's freshman and Gerard's junior year.

Frank slept in accidentally one morning so he was in a major rush to school. His parents dropped him off right in front and he practically sprinted in. The halls were already completely empty, since everyone was in their class. Frank checked his watch while running in. There was less than a minute before the tardy bell rang. Frank rushed to his locker, scurrying to put his combination in and yank it open.

He grabbed his books and a stack of paper that he was going to need for his next class. He also grabbed a couple pens and pencils to stuff in his backpack when he was safely in his desk. He closed his locker, and started running again. What he didn't realize, was that his shoe lace on his shoe had completely untied from all his running. So of course, that untied shoe made him step on the lace, making him fly to the ground with all his books, paper, and writing utensils flying everywhere around him.

The fall was painful. Frank had to admit that, but he was mostly happy no one saw that fall. If someone did, he would've been so embarr-

"Whoa! Are you alright?"

 _Shit. SHIT._

Someone did see him fall down. This is bad, this is so bad. He looked up, completely ready to see whoever saw him, laughing their ass off while recording him or something.

When he saw who it was, his heart skipped a beat. It was Gerard. Gerard _fucking_ Way.

The boy that Frank had the biggest crush just saw him fall down. This was his worst nightmare. He didn't even know what to say. He could feel his jaw hanging down, due to his shock at the super attractive sight of Gerard. And to make matters worse, he knew he looked terrible. He hadn't even paid attention to how he looked that morning because of how quick he was moving.

His hair was sticking out in all kinds of different directions, he had slipped on baggy jeans, a pair of old scruffy converse, and a black t-shirt with a raggedy gray sweatshirt over that. He was pretty sure he had dried drool on his chin too.

Then there stood Gerard Way, in all of his glory, staring down at him on the ground. He looked so good. He was like an angel in Frank's eyes. He was dressed in black jeans, and a white button up shirt with a black vest over it. He was even wearing a tie ticked underneath his vest. His hair was big and fluffy looking, sticking up over his head in perfect angles. It was jet black and it looked soft. Frank wanted to run his hands through it.

He wasn't laughing at Frank though, he actually looked concerned for him. This made Frank's heart flutter despite how embarrased and upset he was. Since his jaw was still hanging down with no words coming out, Gerard continued talking while getting down on his knees, to start gathering Frank's things.

"That was a hard fall you took right there. If that were me, I wouldn't even- hey, you like The Smiths?"

Frank looked down to see what Gerard was talking about. Turns out, Frank's backpack was zipped open a bit as well and things from inside of it fell out as well. Even better. One of the things that fell out was an album he owned by The Smiths.

He slowly nodded his head to Gerard's question. He felt like a complete idiot. The first time his crush was acknowledging him, he was choking and making a complete fool of himself.

 _Pull yourself together,_ he thought to himself.

"Um, y-yeah. They're one of my favorite bands."

He couldn't believe he was able to say that. He gave himself an imaginary pat on the back for that.

"Me too! I love them. I've never met anyone here who likes them. You're amazing for that."

Frank's heart melted. Gerard Way just said he was amazing. His day couldn't get any better than this. Okay, screw class. Gerard was talking to him. He could be late for this.

"Thank you. Morrissey is a musical genius, in my opinion."

He didn't stutter that time. He was getting better at this. Thank god.

Gerard's smile at Frank's response was gorgeous. He was so attractive, it was unfair.

"I agree completely. He's extremely talented. The way he performs...he's just so passionate up there when he sings, you can tell he means every lyrics he sings. He wants the audience to feel what he's feeling through his music. It's spectacular. There aren't many artists who do that to their fans."

Frank couldn't agree more with everything Gerard just told him. He was staring at Gerard in complete awe. Gerard was the first person who thought of music the same way Frank did. Not only was his crush talking to him, he was talking to him about _music._ No one ever wanted to talk to him about music. This just made his crush on Gerard one thousand times stronger.

"I completely agree with you. Music has the opportunity to change a person's life. It's so strong. Sometimes, I get so caught up in music that I forget about reality."

Gerard stared at him. Frank forgot how to breathe. Seconds passed as Gerard just stared at him. Finally, Gerard slowly stuck out his hand for Frank to shake.

Frank slowly reached his hand over to Gerard's and slid his hand into his. If Frank suddenly dropped dead right this second, he would die fucking happy.

"My name's Gerard Way."

As if Frank didn't know that. As if everyone didn't know that. Regardless, Frank was sure he looked like a love sick puppy right now because that's exactly what he felt like. This day would go down in history.

When Frank opened his mouth to finally introduce himself, Gerard spoke once more.

"You're Frank, right? Frank Iero?"

Gerard knew his name. Gerard actually knew his name. How did Gerard know his name? He was a complete nobody to everyone here. Frank had two true friends, Ray Toro and Bob Bryar. They were both freshmen who had lots of classes with Frank. Ray was very outgoing while Bob was much more calm and quiet. They had been best friends ever since they were children. Other than those two in his life, Frank was a nobody.

"Y-you know my name?"

Gerard smiled.

"Yeah, I do. I was walking uh, down this hallway once and I saw you a little ways ahead of me and I uh, heard that boy, Ray Toro call you over to him. I guess...I just kind of remembered it?," he finished lamely.

Okay. Frank knew he was head over heels for Gerard but one thing Frank is an expert on is being able to tell when someone is lying.

Frank didn't know how Gerard knew his name but he knew for a fact that the reason Gerard just gave him was a complete lie. Gerard kept looking everywhere else but his face when he had been talking and he had also been messing with a strand of his hair. Also, the amounts of times he said "uh" or just completely paused were also dead giveaways. Frank wanted to laugh at this but he didn't want to make Gerard upset. But the real question was; how did Gerard really know his name?

Frank didn't know but he wasn't going to ask any more questions. Hopefully he'd find out his answer later.

"Oh, okay. Well yes, I'm Frank Iero. It's a pleasure to meet you."

They both smiled at each other before Frank realized one thing:

They were still holding each other's hand.

Gerard seemed to notice this as well, because he awkwardly cleared his throat and slowly let go of Frank's hand before letting it drop by his side. Frank watched Gerard look down at the ground and keep gathering up all of Frank's things. Frank did the same.

After a few seconds of silence, they both nicely stacked everything of Frank's. Frank grabbed his stuff, and started to stand up when all of a sudden, Gerard stood up very quickly and stuck his hand down to help Frank up.

Frank shyly put his hand back into Gerard's. Gerard slowly and gently pulled Frank up, while Frank used his legs to help him up as well. Frank didn't even realize that his legs were still in a lot of pain, but all of a sudden, his legs felt very weak and he fell forward. Arms wrapped around his very quickly and Frank was surrounded by Gerard's body. He smelled so good.

"That fall really did something to you, didn't it?"

Frank quietly chuckled, but he's pretty sure it came out more as a strangled gasp because shit. He was literally in the arms of Gerard Way. He was having the best day of his life.

Gerard slowly unwrapped his arms from around Frank, but still kept him steady. He moved to the side of Frank, wrapping one of Frank's arms around his waist, while he wrapped his own arm around Frank's shoulders, before speaking.

"You can't go to class like this, Frank. I'm taking you to the nurse."

He then started to walk while letting Frank lean on him for support. Frank was at a loss of words, meaning it was completely silent on the way to the nurse. Once they got to the nurse's office, Frank heard Gerard telling the nurse what had happened, making Frank's cheeks redden again. The nurse told Frank to lay down on one of the beds while she prepared some things to help him. Gerard helped him walk slowly to the bed before he gently helped Frank lay down. Once Frank was down and comfortable, Gerard smiled down at him.

"Well, I don't want to keep bothering you, so I better get going."

Bothering him? Did Gerard really just say he was bothering Frank? He's crazy.

Gerard began to turn around but Frank did something that shocked himself. He reached up and out from his place on the bed and grabbed Gerard's arm.

Gerard quickly turned back around.

"Are you okay, Frank?"

The genuine concern on his face made Frank want to grab his face and kiss him but he knows that would never happen.

"I'm okay. I just wanted you to know," he started, but cut himself off to clear his throat.

"You're not bothering me at all, Gerard."

He finished this off with the best smile he could muster at this point, which probably wasn't a very good looking smile at all, but the smile he received back from Gerard was absolutely blinding. God, he was gorgeous.

"That's very nice of you to say. Let me go ahead and tell you that you don't bother me at all either."

He chuckled, and so did Frank.

"I'll see you around, Gerard."

Gerard gave him one last smile and a nod.

"Yes, you will."

After those words, Gerard simply turned around and walked back out of the nurse's office, the smell of him still lingering.

Frank smiled and closed his eyes, completely falling asleep for the next couple of hours.

Fast forward over 10 years later and here was the very same Gerard standing in front of him at a coffee shop in New York City. Except now, things were different. Things were way different. So much had happened in between the first day he met Gerard to right now. So many things, which included dating, loving, happiness, and the promise of forever. Frank thought they were going to last forever, but on the 7th year of their relationship, things started going downhill. It was easily fixable, but neither of them tried fixing it. It all ended with one ugly argument that resulted in their splitting. That was something else Frank didn't want to think about. It could have been prevented so easily. Frank always knew that, but at the time, neither of them were smart enough to know that they could have fixed things before they got super rough.

But here was Gerard, the exact same Gerard. However, this Gerard, this one looked different. His hair that used to be longer and jet black was not fire engine red. His face was much more slim and angular. His cheek bones were very defined. He had very light and delicate features now. He looked completely different but exactly the same somehow to Frank. But one thing Frank could still admit was that Gerard was still extremely attractive, maybe even more attractive than the last time he had seen him.

There was too much silence between them by this point. Frank had to do something, or say something but he had no idea what to even say to the man who he hasn't seen since the day they argued and split. Finally, Frank opened his mouth to speak again but Gerard beat him to it.

"Wow. It's been so long. You look great."

Wow. That was the last thing Frank was expecting. Gerard actually complimented him. For some reason, Frank was kind of expecting Gerard to tell him to get away. But he didn't, he actually complimented him? Wow.

"Um, thanks. You look...amazing, Gerard."

It was true. Gerard looked great. Though the red hair was really different after seeing Gerard with black hair for so long, it wasn't a bad different. It looked good on him.

Gerard looked down at the ground and smiled.

"Thanks. Um, this is a bit weird, isn't it? That we're running into each other here of all places at this late time?"

He looked back up and smiled at Frank, who by this time, had set down his coffees and cupcakes at a table right next to him. He glanced over at Andrew, to see if he was beginning to get angry at how long Frank was taking, but he was speaking to someone on the cell phone, not paying any attention to anything or anyone around him. Frank looked back over at Gerard.

"Yeah. It is a bit weird," he laughed awkwardly.

"But, it's really nice seeing you, Gerard."

Frank probably sounded like a complete moron. He was trying so hard to sound normal and natural but he knew he sucked at it.

"You too, Frank."

Gerard seemed by this time, pretty comfortable and not nearly as UNcomfortable as he was a few seconds ago.

They both smiled at each other, but in Frank's eyes, this felt way too familiar, which was starting to make him a bit overwhelmed.

"Well, do you want to sit down and maybe catch up? I was on my way home, but I saw this shop and decided I really wanted some coffee before I got home. But if you're free, I'd love to sit and catch up for a little bit. If not, that's totally okay."

Gerard's little rant ended with him a little out of breath. Frank inwardly chuckled at this. He did want to say yes to Gerard's offer, he really did. He would love to catch up and see what he's been up to. But, Frank knew he couldn't. Not when he was here with his boyfriend. Damn, he really didn't want to have to turn down Gerard, though.

"Oh um. I'd love to but I'm actually here with my boy-"

"Frank," Andrew came striding up to him.

He didn't look angry or anything, just a little frustrated. He walked straight up to Frank. He turned his head to look at Gerard.

"Hello. I'm Andrew. I didn't mean to interrupt this conversation but I just needed to say something important to Frank."

Gerard quickly nodded.

"Of course, of course."

Andrew politely smiled before turning back to look at Frank.

"Frank, I'm really sorry. But Emily has just called me in. There's been a disaster over at work. Apparently one of the girls who was supposed to get Emily's dress dry cleaned, dropped it into a puddle of water and mud. Emily was just screaming at me on the phone so I need to be there right now. I'm really sorry."

Andrew hugged Frank quickly while giving him a peck on the cheek. He smiled but still had an extremely guilty look on his face.

"Oh, that's okay. You go do what you have to do," Frank told Andrew.

He tried to smile but it came out as a weak half grin. He was kind of upset that Andrew was bailing off a sudden but he understood. Having the kind of job he did had some consequences. Andrew hugged him one last time, while whispering that he'd see him later. Frank handed him his coffee, making Andrew give him a grateful smile. Then, he walked quickly out the door with his coffee in hand.

Well, so much for a free day together. Frank sighed. He would have to save his cupcake for later. But it's kind of gross, when cupcakes sit out for a while, they start to get all soggy and-

"Well, there went that, huh?"

Frank looked back up to see a grinning Gerard. Frank raised his eyebrows, silently questioning Gerard.

"I could tell you were going to turn down my offer. But it looks like your reason for turning me down is gone."

He chuckled out loud after his little joke, and god, his smile and laugh were just as beautiful as a Frank always remembered.

Wait, stop. Frank needed to slap himself back into reality. He couldn't be saying things like that about someone when he had a perfectly awesome boyfriend.

"Oh! Um, yeah. You're not wrong about that. I guess that means I don't have any reason to say no. Would you like to sit down?"

Frank tried to sound as polite as he could, he really did, but he knew he was sounding like an awkward teenager talking to their crush for the first time. Basically he sounded exactly like he did when he met Gerard the first time.

But nonetheless, Gerard just smiled and nodded his head silently.

They chose a table a couple away from where Frank and Andrew were going to sit. When they were finally sitting down and comfortable, it was silent for a few moments. Neither of them wanted to speak first. They both kept looking at random things to distract themselves.

Alright, that's it. Frank knows it's awkward but they can't just sit there silently.

"Wow. It really has been such a long time hasn't it? Over four years. How have you been? What's your life like right now?"

Gerard snapped his head up to meet Frank's eyes as soon as Frank started to speak. Once Frank finished asking the question, Gerard gave him a small smile and tucked some of his hair behind his ear. His hair still looked so soft and fluffy.

"I've been great. Right now, I've just been publishing my comic books that I've been working on at different stores and events around the city. They started out with maybe only thirty through forty purchases despite hundreds of copies being put out. But now, they've become a lot more popular. My latest issue had thousands of copies sold. I can't believe it. Never in my life would I have imagined that I'd be taking off like this. Other than the comics, I design art and sell that as well. I've had a few art exhibits and I'm having another one next week actually. My life really isn't too exciting. I'm just doing what I've loved doing my whole life."

He ended his answer with a big smile on his face, his eyes shining at the mention of the things he loves to do.

"Not too exciting? That's amazing, Gerard! I always knew you'd become something huge like this. I had absolutely no doubt about it."

Damn. That was too much. He could tell it was too much based off the look Gerard have him. He stared at Frank for a couple seconds, completely serious, with his eyes a little wider than before. But he quickly composed himself, clearing his throat while adjusting his hair once again.

"Thank you, Frank. That means a lot, coming from you."

Right after he said that, his big smile was back.

"So, I've given you my life story. I mean, obviously not my real life story, but I've given you the big parts of what I've been up to. Your turn. What have you been doing?"

Frank took a deep breath before speaking.

"My life is a lot less exciting than yours. I own a studio a couple blocks from my apartment, where I teach kids ranging from ages 5 to 17. I teach them how to play instruments, sing, write music, or read music. Their parents sign them up for what they want to learn and they sign up every month if they want to continue classes with me. All of the students I've had start with me when they're about 5 or 6 years old and stay all the way until they graduate high school. I've grown a bond with every one of them. I couldn't be any happier right now. I love my job so much."

Frank was so passionate about his kids he taught. He was so proud of every single one of them. He even began to feel a little emotional.

All of a sudden, he felt a hand on top of his left hand, which had been resting on the table. He looked at his hand, seeing Gerard's hand on top of his. He glanced up at Gerard and saw him smiling at him while shaking his head slowly.

"What?"

Gerard's smile somehow got even bigger.

"I just, I'm so proud of you. Your job seems amazing and I just knew when we were younger that you'd end up having a job that could change someone's life. I don't even have to guess that you have changed some of your students' lives. The way you were just speaking about your job, I can tell you genuinely love it and that you're not just in it for the money. You have such a good heart."

He squeezed Frank's hand and Frank found himself wrapping his thumb around the top of Gerard's hand and squeezing it back.

"Thank you, Gerard," he quietly said.

Frank felt so happy all of a sudden. Not because Gerard was squeezing his hand or anything, but because someone who had such a special part in Frank's heart was right here, telling Frank that he was proud of him. They were finally getting the chance to become close again. Just friends, of course, but it feels so nice to have Gerard back in his life. Frank's body felt so tingly at the feeling of him hand under Gerard's.

"So, on to the next subject. That man who left. Was that your boyfriend?"

Gerard removed his hand from Frank's and now had a teasing glint in his eye. For some reason though, Frank didn't really like the idea of talking about his love life in front of Gerard. But he did need to honestly answer his question.

"Yes. Yes, he is. His name is Andrew. We've been together for a little over two years now. He had to leave because of his insane job, also known as the assistant of the one and only Emily James."

Gerard went from smirking, to straight up shocked in the course of a couple seconds.

"Wow! Emily James? THE Emily James? That's really cool. I mean, I'd never ever take that job because it'd be like signing my life away, but still, that's such a big deal. Also, I'm so glad you're seeing someone. You really do deserve someone who would treat you right and to me, it looks like he does."

Frank inwardly smiled at the fact that Gerard was complimenting his boyfriend. Why was Gerard so "happy" he was taken though? I mean, it's not like Frank was expecting him to break down and cry or anything but Gerard just seemed ecstatic that he was with someone. Odd.

Oh wow. Frank didn't even think about the question that has really been bugging him this entire time. Was Gerard single? Frank had no idea. Might as well find out now while they were on the topic.

"Yeah, he loves it but it does have its ups and downs. So tell me, is there someone special in your life?"

Now, Frank was the one smirking while Gerard looked down at the table with a hint of pink in his cheeks.

"Um, yeah. I'm actually, uh. I'm actually engaged."

He raised his left hand up, and there sat a beautiful and expensive looking engagement ring on his ring finger.

Frank absolutely froze. Oh my god.

Gerard was getting married.

To someone else.

Frank wanted to get up and leave. He wanted to go home and just lay down in his bed. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs. All oxygen in his body was gone.

Gerard was going to be a married man.

But the real question was:

Why was this bothering Frank?


	4. I Know It's Over

Frank opened the door to his house and quickly walked in, slamming the door behind him and backing up to where his back was pressed against it. He laid his head back and closed his eyes, deeply breathing in and out for a few seconds.

He and Gerard had continued conversing with each other for another hour or so, 10 minutes of that time being spent by Gerard talking about his _fiancé._ His name was Michael, and he was a doctor. Gerard said that he met Michael when he took a friend of his to the hospital after he broke a bone from falling down. Michael had been his friend's Doctor.

Gerard kept talking about Michael for a while longer, but Frank wasn't really paying attention. He remembers little bits and pieces, like that they began dating about a year ago and that they just got engaged only a couple weeks ago. Other than that, Frank doesn't remember anything else. He was too focused on the fact that Gerard was _actually_ getting married. This was unbelievable.

He just never expected to hear it. After how long they were together, he never even imagined Gerard being with someone else, let alone getting married to someone else.

But who was Frank to be saying that? Gerard is absolutely free to be with whoever he wants, and Frank is happily taken as well, so why keep letting it bother him?

But, Frank gained something that night, something he wasn't sure if he really liked or not. He got Gerard's new phone number.

"Just to chat or hang out," Gerard told him while writing his phone number down. Frank has had the same phone number for pretty much all his life, and surprisingly, Gerard said he still had it in his phone.

How odd.

They both left the cafe with the promise that they would be hanging out soon. Frank wasn't sure if he could keep up that promise. I mean, he had a boyfriend to hang out with and Gerard had a fiancé to do the same with so why did they need to hang out with each other? Frank didn't really see the point in it.

He walked to his bathroom and took a long, long shower. He spent a lot of time just thinking. Thinking about himself, about Gerard, and about their past relationship.

 _After Frank met Gerard and spent a couple hours at the nurse before going home, Frank started talking to Gerard more and more. First, it started out as just little small conversations about music in the hallways between classes. Then it became longer conversations at lunch, spending time talking in the lunch line and on the way to their separate tables with their different groups of friends._

 _However, sometime during the second half of the year, Frank's math teacher decided that he was way too bright for the class he was taking and ended up moving him to a more advanced math class. This was a math that sophomores and juniors took. Guess who was in the class that Frank was put in? Gerard of course._

 _Having that class together brought them even closer than ever. At first, Gerard's friends ignored Frank, which Frank definitely didn't mind. But after a while, they got used to him and even started talking to him as well._

 _The math teacher in their class assigned a partner assignment that would last about two months. She let everyone choose their partners. Gerard chose Frank. This made Frank both ecstatic but also extremely nervous because the teacher announced that the only way to get the assignment done in time was by spending lots of time with your partner, working on it outside of school. This means that Frank would be completely alone with Gerard, not surrounded by other school students and teachers. It would just be them two. By themselves. Holy shit._

 _In the course of those two months, a whole, whole, whole lot went down between the two of them. Frank met Gerard's parents and younger brother named Mikey who was a sophomore, and Gerard also met Frank's parents. They became best friends, and before they knew it, Frank had totally and completely fallen in love with Gerard, but was constantly crushed at the fact that Gerard could never feel the same about him. They were together almost every day and even when they weren't together, they were texting. They told each other everything, including Frank telling Gerard he was gay and that no one but his parents and two friends knew. Gerard even became very touchy. He would always hug Frank and put his hands on his face, his back, his shoulders. He even tickled Frank, and would sometimes even lift him up and carry him around bridal style. These things always excited Frank, but his face would constantly turn as red as a tomato. Gerard never seemed to notice. They hung out together everywhere too. They would go to each other's houses, the library. They would travel to the closest beach they could get to and spend the day together there, and they would even go to parks and malls together. Frank loved every single second he spent with the guy he had fallen completely in love with. But sadly, he had to face the facts that Gerard could never love him back._

 _One day, nearing the end of the two months, the two of them were at Frank's house, hanging out. They had finished the project extremely quickly so they were completely free to just hang out together without having to worry about the project._

 _Frank was lounging on his own bed, reading a book, while Gerard was laying down next to him, completely concentrated on his comic book he was currently creating. He was extremely talented. Frank found out that Gerard's passion was to become a well known and famous comic book artist. Frank knew for a fact that Gerard would be able to do that, because his talent and passion were out of this world. Just another reason out of the many that Frank was in love with him._

 _After about thirty minutes of silence, Frank got up to go to the restroom. Once he came back, Gerard was sitting straight up on Frank's bed. He was still looking down at his comic book, but he wasn't really looking at it. He looked like he was zoned out. He also looked extremely tense and almost...worried about something._

 _Frank slowly closed the door, and walked back to the bed. Gerard didn't even glance up. He just continued looking down with that same black stare._

 _Frank put his hand on Gerard's shoulder, ignoring the fireworks that erupted in his heart at just the feel of Gerard._

 _"Gerard? Is everything oka-_ _"_

" _Frank_."

 _Gerard suddenly cut him off. His voice was firm, but also very soft at the same time. Something was wrong._

 _"Yes?"_

 _For the first time, Gerard slowly looked up and finally met Frank's eyes. Those eyes. Frank wanted to be able to look into those eyes for the rest of his life. Every time he looked into his beautiful eyes, he got absolutely lost in them._

 _Gerard let out a long and shaky breath._

 _"I have to tell you something," he whispered._

 _He looked so nervous all of a sudden, but Frank had no idea why._

 _"Gerard, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell me anything. You know I wouldn't judge anything you do."_

 _Gerard just kept staring into his eyes, but he slowly smiled. However, after a few seconds, he stopped smiling and he took a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a couple moments and then opened them again, looking right back at Frank._

 _"Okay. Here goes nothing. At the end of this speech, if you don't ever want to seem me again, feel free to kick me out of this house. I wouldn't blame you if you did. But, okay here we go."_

 _Frank raised his eyebrows. What the hell? Kick him out of the house? What was Gerard talking about?_

 _Gerard slowly turned his whole body, to where he was facing Frank fully. He grabbed Frank's hands and intertwined their fingers. This wasn't new to Frank, though. Gerard always held his hands without being flirty about it or anything._

 _Frank looked down at their hands, squeezing Gerard's in the process to tell him he could keep going._

 _"Okay, so I'm gay. You know that, of course. But never have I really had any true feelings for another guy. I mean, of course I've looked at other guys and thought they were attractive. How else would I have found out I'm gay, you know? But never have I actually looked at another guy and thought that I'd really like to date them. Because to me, I don't want to date anyone unless they really mean something to me. I won't just date someone who is attractive or something. Anyways, I've never felt strongly about someone...up until a couple months ago."_

 _When he said those words, Frank's heart felt like it exploded. Did he just say he's never felt anything for someone until a couple months ago? Well, he met Gerard a couple months ago. Unless Gerard met someone else and Frank was about to be heartbroken yet again._

 _"You see, a couple months ago, I met a guy who's a little younger than me. We became pretty good friends and when I started to realize I developed feelings for him, I was a little weirded out by it, mainly because I'm a few years older and I didn't want to look weird. But then, I slowly realized that the age part didn't matter to me. I've become best friends with this guy, and every second I am with him, my feelings for him just get stronger and stronger. I feel like I can really be myself around him and not be afraid of it. He brings out the best in me. So who cares about the age or what other people think? As long as I'm happy, that's all that matters. But Frank, I'm telling you all this because of one important reason."_

 _Frank couldn't breathe. He felt so nervous, he was pretty sure he was sweating. What was the important reason? Well, he was about to find out._

 _Gerard looked down at their hands, slowly pulling his hands away from Frank's. He looked back up and just stared right into Frank's eyes, in complete awe. He slowly moved his hands up to Frank's face, cupping one of his cheeks with one hand and moving some of Frank's hair out of his eyes with the other. He then slowly ran the back of his fingers down Frank's cheeks._

 _Frank was absolutely frozen. The way Gerard was touching him, the way he was looking at him, it was the most intimate they had ever been. Frank could only keep staring right back into Gerard's eyes. He turned his body to where he was facing Gerard completely too now._

 _Gerard moved his face closer to Frank's, while his hands just kept stroking Frank's face. Finally, his hands stopped and just cupped Frank's cheeks._

 _Gerard leaned in even closer to Frank's, his mouth only a couple of inches from his mouth. Frank's mouth went completely dry. This was the closest they had ever been. Frank was actually looking at Gerard's mouth now._

 _Finally, Gerard spoke once more._

 _"I'm in love with you, Frank."_

 _Frank actually whimpered. Those words. The touches he was receiving from Gerard. They were what Frank has been dreaming about ever since he first met him. For such a long time now, he has been waiting to hear those words from him and now he finally was. He couldn't believe it._

 _Gerard noticed Frank's silence and immediately backed off, taking his hands off of Frank's face but still keeping his face close._

 _"Please say something, Frank."_

 _He looked at Frank with pleading eyes._

 _Well, there was only only thing he had to tell Gerard._

 _"I-I'm in love with you too, Gee."_

 _The smile he received from Gerard had been the happiest and brightest smile he had ever seen, which was really saying something, considering Gerard was almost always smiling. But this smile, it lit up his whole face. He was breathtakingly beautiful._

 _"You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen in my life, Frank. From the second I first saw you, which was way before the day we properly met, I thought you were absolutely gorgeous. I could never take my eyes off of you. I tried to find some reason to talk to you, but I kept thinking I was going to scare you off, so I never knew how to approach you. Then suddenly, one morning, you fell down on the floor and I knew that was my opportunity to finally talk to you. I was so happy the rest of that day. I found out that the guy who I found beautiful on the outside, was also beautiful on the inside. Then, when we started becoming closer and closer, my feelings were getting so much stronger. I just...couldn't go any longer without letting you know how much you mean to me. You mean the absolute world to me."_

 _By that time, Frank had tears streaming down his face, and Gerard's eyes were starting to become wet as well._

 _"Gerard," Frank started, his voice extremely shaky and soft due to his crying._

 _"I've had the biggest crush on you ever since I first laid eyes on you. I wanted to talk to you so bad and I wanted to exist in your life, but I always figured I was a nobody, and that you would never know who I was. But when we first met and then started becoming friends...well, somehow your charm and beauty and humor made my crush turn into love for you."_

 _Frank's hands were still sitting in his lap, but Gerard grabbed them and placed them on his shoulders. Frank gripped them and stroked his shoulder blades with his thumbs._

 _It was silent as they both just stared at each other, in complete adoration of each other, both knowing what was about to happen next._

 _Gerard moved his face even closer to Frank's, so close that Frank could feel Gerard's breath on his face. Frank wanted to grab him and kiss the hell out of him, never stopping. But he really wanted to take it slow, to savor it._

 _Gerard tilted his head to the side and questioned Frank with his eyes, asking permission. Frank closed his eyes in response. Gerard's hands cupped his face again and a few seconds later, their lips were pressed together._

 _All of the fireworks that were explained in the movies and books, those were real. They were erupting all around them. Frank's whole body was electrified by the power of that kiss._

 _Frank had never been kissed before, and when Gerard pulled his lips away, he feared he did something wrong._

 _But Gerard just looked at him with eyes full of desire now. They were much darker than before. Frank knew his must have been as well. Gerard gripped his face with more force than before, and kissed him again. This time, Frank started to move his mouth with Gerard's, deepening their kiss._

 _It felt so good. Frank never wanted it to end. But soon enough, they were beginning to run out of oxygen, so they separated, with their lips making a satisfying smacking noise. Frank's hands, which had still been gripping Gerard's shoulders, now moved to his back. He placed his hands on Gerard's shoulder blades, and slowly moved his hands down to his lower back. Gerard's mouth dropped open a little and he closed his eyes._

 _They both knew what they wanted. They wanted nothing but each other in that moment. Nothing else in the world existed._

 _This time it was Frank who dove back in, kissing Gerard with a lot more force and confidence. He moved his lips very fast now. Gerard caught on quickly, kissing him back with just as much fiery and enthusiasm. This time, Frank felt a tongue run across his bottom lip. He opened his mouth in response and Gerard's tongue entered his mouth, making Frank let out a loud and very embarrassing moan. Gerard abruptly pulled his mouth away from Frank's._

 _"Okay, if we don't stop now, I'm not going to ever stop and I don't want to take advantage of you in any way. Besides, I'm starting to get way too turned on and all we did was kiss. See the effect you have on me?"_

 _His eyes were still lust filled, but he was now smiling, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Frank agreed with him, his heart pounding at the sensation of his first kiss being with the guy he's been head over heels in love with for months. He smiled at Gerard and ran his thumb across Gee's bottom lip._

 _Gerard wrapped his arms around Frank and then laid down, pulling Frank down with him. They both landed on their backs, but Frank's head was now resting on Gerard's outstretched arm. He turned onto his side, now facing Gerard._

 _Gerard turned his face and was now looking right back at him._

 _"I love you," Frank said while smiling._

 _"I love you, too," Gerard said in response._

The front door closed, snapping Frank back into reality. He had been in the shower for such a long time, thinking about that day he and Gerard kissed for the very first time. The shower water had even run cold by that time. Frank now realized how much his body was shivering. He quickly turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Frank? Hey, I'm home."

It was Andrew.

"Oh hey. How did it go with that crazy lady?"

Andrew loudly sighed through the door before opening it and walking right in. Frank was standing in front of the mirror, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush. Andrew came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Frank's waist. He rested his chin on Frank's shoulder, staring at the two of them in the mirror.

"It was terrible. As soon as I came in, Emily just started screaming at me for letting her dress be ruined, as if I had anything to do with it. She made me go buy her a new dress and have it dry cleaned, oh yeah, with my own money. She said it was punishment for what I did."

Frank winced. God, that woman sounded like such an awful person.

"I'm sorry, baby," Frank mumbled, while brushing his teeth.

Andrew sighed again.

"It's a price I have to pay for choosing to work for that woman. Anyways, I'm really sorry for having to leave so suddenly at the coffee shop. But that man, was that a friend of yours? Did you get to talk to him?"

Frank's heart dropped. Well, how was he going to get himself out of this one?

"Um..yes. A very old friend."

Well, that wasn't a total lie. They were friends at one point...at an older time...that made no sense.

"Oh, cool. What's his name?"

"Gerard."

"Oh, okay. He was very interesting looking," Andrew said while snorting.

Immediately Frank tensed up and became defensive.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Andrew just kept chuckling and smiling.

"Well, I mean, how old is he? Late twenties, I assume? But that red hair? That's got to go. No one at that age can look good with hair that color, including him. I just thought that was funny, that's all."

Frank narrowed his eyes at Andrew.

"Well, what if I thought it liked amazing on him?"

Fuck. Why did he have to say that? Why did he even want to say that?

Well, he was only defending Gerard because they were friends and that's it. Yeah, that's all. Nothing more.

Andrew stopped smiling, completely.

"You thought that hair color looked good on him? Is your head feeling okay today, Frankie?"

He started to laugh again, only fueling Frank's anger.

"Shut up," Frank snapped at him.

He finished brushing his teeth and turned around, shoving past Andrew. He walked into the living room and Andrew followed him out.

"Whoa, what the hell Frank? What's your problem?"

"How about you stop judging others because you're definitely not any better than Gerard."

Frank stormed into their shared bedroom, and he laid down in bed. He knew he must've made Andrew angry by saying that, because he hasn't even followed him into the bedroom.

Frank heard the bathroom door close, meaning Andrew was most likely going to shower. Frank knew he was going to have to apologize for snapping at him out of nowhere, but it was going to have to wait for the morning because Frank's head was filled with way too many thoughts and he really just wanted to sleep on it.

Then Frank realized something.

He had actually snapped at his own boyfriend for making one comment about Gerard's hair. He got that annoyed and angry over one comment. Why was Gerard getting inside of his head so much?

Frank groaned and turned over, shoving his face into his pillow.

He knew one thing.

He knew for a fact why he was so bothered tonight. It was time to admit it.

Frank was sad that Gerard was getting married. He couldn't stand the thought of Gerard entering a permanent marriage with another man.

All of his memories with Gerard were still fresh in his mind, but to Frank, it seemed like Gerard has forgotten all about their memories and time spent together.

Frank closed his eyes, with the image of Gerard's smiling face in his mind.

Gerard was engaged and there was nothing Frank could do about it.


End file.
